Usability and accessibility

We focus on creating content that allows people to access our services with ease and to write in a way that is understood by many.

Why we focus on usability and accessibility

Our website is used by a wide range of people with different needs which we must consider when creating content  - for example:

  • people in a hurry – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
  • people who are stressed – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things
  • people who are multi-tasking – if you're holding a baby or a running business your attention's divided
  • people with low literacy – will not know meanings of complex vocabulary and terms
  • people with cognitive impairments – easy to understand words and sentences carry less cognitive load
  • people with visual impairments – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
  • people with motor impairments – clear, concise content is shorter so requires less navigation

There is also a legal obligation for us to meet a very specific standard of accessibility, set out in GOV.UK guidance on understanding the accessibility requirements for public sector bodies.

Accessible documents

The accessibility regulations include documents, like PDF's, that are on our website.

Documents will not be uploaded to the website if they are not accessible:

  • Check how to get training to produce an accessible document in the 'training and support section'
  • If you are working with comms teams designers to develop a document, and you think it will need to go on the website, you should let them know. They can produce it in an accessible format.

How we do it

We continuously strive to make sure our users are accessing the information they need by:

  • analysing user feedback
  • reading research both internally and externally
  • talking to services about their users
  • using readability indicators

Training and support

You can contact the web team for help and support using our online contact form: www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/webcontentrequest

You can sign up for our quick training session on on how to produce an accessible document.

Our accessibility statement

For more information on how we ensure our digital services to adhere to accessibility standards, read our accessibility statement for Westmorland and Furness council.